September 21st is the last day for the exhibit Inspiring Impressionism. I went Thursday with friends. Loved it. Some paintings have never been on tour before. I would show you what it was like but they take a dim view of people taking photographs (not tolerated at all)! You will have to go see for yourself.
We always tell our married kids about the issaquah Highlands garage sale. They come away with the best stuff!
YOU CAN TOO! Saturday Sept 20th 9am - 4pm.
With all the talk of Staycations, which we have done many times as business never seems to let us get away, we often enjoy a mini-vacation, one of which we indulged in this last beautiful weekend. There is much to do and see east of Issaquah. All within about 90 minutes from Issaquah. It is not a sacrifice because you find places many people travel hundreds of miles to see, save gas and you are not worn out when you get home (unless you backpack or ski yourself into a limp rag)!
Snoqualmie Summit is magnificent, summer and winter. About 40 minutes from Issaquah.
It won’t be long before the snow comes and this scene is very different.
Below a “cabin” at Alpental.
Lots of camping and really good fishing places and it is a backbackers paradise.
There are many lakes off of I90, Lake Keechelus, Lake Kachess, Lake Easton, Lake Cle Elum, below is Lake Easton which has a great trail around much of it and both private camping and a State Park Campgrounds. About 55 minutes from Issaquah.
Across the freeway from Lake Easton is Mountain High Hamburgers, very different from our fast food places. Great milkshakes! It is located in what is commonly known as Turtle Town. It used to have a huge concrete Turtle there. I have always wondered what happened to him??
Want something more posh, you’ve got it! Head for Suncadia Lodge, the heart of a premier resort community in Suncadia. Enjoy Golf, Trails, Fine Dining, Spa, Pool and Fitness (not to mention close to Snoqualmie Summit for sking) and you can own a condo here and have it rented out when you aren’t using it. There are also many fine homes for sale. It reminds me of Sun River Resort and that is not by accident. About 70 minutes from Issaquah.
Click The Photo above to go to the Suncadia Website:
The view from the Suncadia Lodge is awe inspiring. One of the Spa features is outdoor rock like soaking pools (3) each with a different temperature, even in the winter with snow 10 feet or so high. (Not shown)
A home in Suncadia
A backyard in Suncadia. Many border the golf course.
Not far away, about another 10 minutes is Roslyn of Northern Exposure fame. Roslyn has a unique charm. I need to go back as we were running out of time and hurried so we missed much. I have heard about a theater with a mural of Marlon Brando on it AND it used to be a mortuary!
Does this look like your Granny’s house? It does mine. Each season and holiday is an event for this house and the lucky people who get to see it.
Issaquah has 41 open houses scheduled. Some are condominium developments so we only mark 1 on the map. Listing agents are included in the information. If your agent posts the open house in the MLS we, post it on the map. In most cases the driving instructions are posted. Just click the balloon. Call me if you want a buyers agent. 206.618.3724. We distribute and honor the real estate coupon book. Save tons of money, even win a home. Click here for the map.
Already people have been contacting me about the Fed take over of Fannie and Freddie. What will that do to us or for us is the question? ………..From Dan Green who I respect: Sunday, the government announced that it will takeover Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and assume their respective operations. Mortgage-backed debt is now government debt.But for all the front page stories today, there’s suprisingly little coverage about how the news impacts homeowners in need of a mortgage.Mortgage rates are down sharply today, and possibly forever.…………..another good article: These are potential benefits:
Loan ‘work-outs’ were/are generally not in the interest of lenders, especially those who’ve retained mortgage servicing companies or run the divisions internally, since these profit centers are paid to keep homeowners in their current situation and/or handle the foreclosure process. If the business model is to keep borrowers making payments they can’t afford and/or pushing them into foreclosure, well its easy to see where the misalignment of objects and conflict of interests arise.
The government can effectively work with homeowners to restructure payment terms any way they see fit, keeping more people in their homes, substantially reducing the number foreclosures that have fostered the rapid depreciation in many housing markets around the country.
Many speculators made a lot of money by short selling Fannie and Freddie’s stock, accelerating their devaluation. The SEC put a stop to this in mid July 08, by then the damage (or rewards) had been realized. Months late and billions short(ed) I will be linking other valid articles to this article over the next few days, so come back and check if you are interested. Visit Agent Genius for the completion of the text above. …..From the Garrett-Watts blog: They will still be in business Monday, but with their existing shareholders no longer owning it.We tend to think there will be minimal impact on the day-to-day selling of loans to them.We can envision three things happening after there is a thorough review by the Treasury Department of all aspects of their operations.………………………………………. FHFA Director Lockhart Remarks on Housing GSE Actions From The Big Picture:I am still working my way through the details of the GSE takeover by Treasury, but here is my initial read of the details:
• FHFA will act as conservator of the two firms — meaning the US government has day-to-day control of Fannie and Freddie;• The conservator’s goals are to (1) put the company in a sound and solvent condition, and (2) carry on the company’s business and preserve and conserve the assets and property of the company.• There is an immediate moratorium of the firms’ lobbying activities.
Do you need things for animals, not just cats and dogs, but horses, goats, bunnies and then some. The Issaquah Grange Supply has much more, fencing, home and garden products, gasoline, tack & gear, boots, and outback clothing.Today, The Grange hosted a day of celebration for their customers. Free Hot Dogs, Pony Rides, Popcorn, Lemonade even raffle tickets for hourly drawings plus discounts on merchandize.And they had music
And a bag of free treats for my cats
A giant rabbit named Bagel
Free food and Pony Rides
A store full of things you won’t find anywhere else in Issaquah, Saddle Blankets and Tack and Rugged Clothing
Food and Products for people too. It is easy to become a member of the Grange, but you don’t have to be one to be able to shop there, but there are advantages. www.GrangeSupply.com The Grange is located at 145 NE Gilman BLVD, Issaquah, WA 98027
Come take a look, the open houses are posted. Click the open house map for Issaquah now.
Again I ask, have you been on the fence over interest rates? I offer 3 tips.
….
It may be time to get off. Today is a great example of how rates work.If you went price shopping this morning and locked a rate, you made a mistake or two….1- don’t price shop over the phone. Your friendly loan officer would have been able to pick up an extra $3000 or so as rates came tumbling down this morning: depending on the size of your loan. ….2- use a lender and a real estate agent as a team. Use a lender referred by an agent. That puts all future business with the real estate agent at risk if they mess with you or fail you. Your one loan carries less weight than 3 a month. Three a month is what I used get from a good real estate agent when I was a loan officer…. 3- pick your lender before you want to lock, have the application filled out and have written assurance your loan is approved. How long will rates stay where they are right now? Who knows. Today our mortgage company has received an opening price and two price drop notices from our market leading mortgage bank. If your loan isn’t in the processing system (loaded in the software) most banks won’t accept the lock. You don’t want a verbal you want proof you are locked.I started our first blog, MortgagesUndressed.com strictly to provide great information to consumers. I saw so many people get burned by online lenders that I wanted to help some that found the blog. I wanted to help them learn how to make good mortgage decisions. The tricksters in the mortgage business were numerous back then, and you should assume some are still out there. Back to my title: Todays plunge may be temporary. Call me if you want a referral to a great loan officer. I will make sure they know I am watching out for you. Photo courtesy of Flickr and by code poet
Last night I received a couple of compliments at a public meeting about our Issaquah blogs. Thanks folks. We love writing about and photographing Issaquah. We hope we provide great local and real estate information for your review. If there is real estate data you would like that we don’t provide, please ask.
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